False eyelash container and curler

ABSTRACT

1,143,695. False eyelash container. B. J. McGIVERN. 26 Sept., 1967 [3 Oct., 1966], No. 43843/67. Heading A4V. A container for storing a false eyelash 15 and for maintaining the hairs 17 of the eyelash in a desired profile comprises a bottom part 11 having a groove 14 to receive the eyelash, having a profile matching that to be imparted to the hairs and a top part 12 having a protuberance 24 shaped to fit complementally within the groove when the container is closed. The outline of the groove is preferably curved to conform approximately with the natural curve of the eyelid. The protuberance is advantageously transparent, having a lenticular cross-section with either a planar, convex or concave upper surface, or a cross-section wherein the curve of upper surface is equidistant from the lower surface at all points. The container preferably is adapted to store and curl a pair of false eyelashes.

ug. 1, i967 e, J. MCGIVERN EYELASH CONTAINER AND CURLER FALSE Filed OCT..

U F/G. 2

United States Patent O 3,333 593 FALSE EYELASH CON'AINER AND CURLER Barbara J. McGivern, 1S Tresillian Road, Downsview, Ontario, Canada Filed Oct. 3, 1966, Ser. No. 583,820 8 Claims. (Cl. 132-31) This invention relates to a container for storing false eyelashes of the type often worn by women.

One of the problems encountered by users of false eyelashes is the difficulty of maintaining the individual hairs of the eyelash in a curled or curved state such that the eyelash, when worn, will have a more or less natural appearance. Manufacturers of false eyelashes often recommend that users of their product employ a pencil or other small-diameter tubular instrument as a kind of mandrel upon which to wrap or wind the false eyelashes when they are not being worn. A strip of paper is commonly employed to cover the eyelash when it is wound upon the pencil, and a rubber band or the like is applied thereover to hold both in position.

The above procedure is troublesome and time-consuming, and in particular results in a false eyelash with a straight backing strip, rather than one conforming to the natural curve of the eyelid.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a simple open-shut container for false eyelashes which is adapted both to store and to curl them, without requiring a troublesome winding procedure.

It is an object of a preferred form of this invention to provide a container for false eyelashes which is adapted not only to store land curl the false eyelashes, but to display them advantageously as Well.

It is a further object of a preferred form of this invention to provide a container for false eyelashes which is adapted to store the false eyelash in such a way that the backing strip of the eyelash retains the natural curve of the eyelid.

Accordingly, this invention provides a container for storing a false eyelash and for lmaintaining the hairs of the -false eyelash in a desired profile, said container comprising: a bottom having a groove adapted to receive said false eyelash, the groove having a profile substantially matching the profile to be imparted to the hairs of said eyelash, and a top having a transparent protuberance shaped to fit complementally within said groove when the container is closed, such that a false eyelash within said groove can be simultaneously stored, curled, and viewed when the container is closed.

Two embodiments of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a partly broken-away perspective view of a false eyelash container;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIGURE 1, showing a iirst embodiment of this invention;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional View similar to that of FIG- URE 2, showing a second embodiment of this invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view similar to FIGURES 2 and 3, showing a various of the lirst embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, the terms eyelash and false eyelash will be used to denote the Whole of the item which is adhered to an eyelid: that is, the sticky or adherent backing strip in combination with a plurality `of individual hairs which are secured thereto at intervals and extend therefrom all in the same direction. The individual hairs of each eyelash will be referred to as such.

Turning now to FIGURE 1, a false eyelash container shown generally at 10 is seen to consist Iof a bottom 11 and a top 12. Preferably, the top 12 is hingedly or otherwise connected to the bottom 11, although it is not necessary for the two parts to be connected at all. For convenience, a pin-type hinge 13 is shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 for the purpose of hingedly securing the top 12 to the bottom 11.

The bottom 11 has two grooves 14, each adapted to receive one false eyelash. As can be seen in FIGURES 2 and 3, each groove has a rounded prole. The curvature and length of the profile are chosen such as substantially to match the curl desired to be imparted to the hairs of a false eyelash.

In FIGURE 1, two false eyelashes 15 are shown received within the groove 14, and each eyelash 15 consists of an adhesive b-acking strip 16 and a plurality of individual hairs 17. In FIGURES 2 to 4 it can be seen that, with the backing strip 16 adhered near or at one of the extremities of the prole of the groove 14, the individual hairs 17, when shaped to follow said profile, do not project beyond the opposite extremity thereof.

The bottom 11 shown in the figures consists of an outer portion 20 and an insert 21 provided with the grooves 14, and receivable within the outer portion 20. The top 12 has a lip 22 adapted to lodge within a cut-away portion 23 along the edge of the bottom 11, and to be secured thereto by any of several conventional means (not shown).

The outline of the grooves 14, i.e., the general shape of the grooves when viewed from above looking down into the groove, is curved to conform approximately to the natural curve of the eyelid. It is to be understood, however, that it is not essential to curve the groove outline in this way. The false eyelashes 15 could be made to fit inside a rectangular groove, or -a groove curved somewhat differently to that shown in FIGURE 1. Nonetheless, it is desirable to store the false eyelashes in such a way that the backing strip 16 retains the natural eyelid curve, and therefore it is preferred that the outline of the grooves 14 be as shown. Furthermore, for display purposes it is of advantage to show the false eyelashes in the configuration which they are to be worn.

The top has two protuberances 24 which lare shaped to iit complementally Within the grooves 14 when the container is closed. With the false eyelashes 15 in position as shown in FIGURE l, closure of the container 1t) will cause the protuberances 24 to seat snuggly within the grooves 14, thereby holding the false eyelashes 15 in a curled and curved conguration.

The -above description relates to the ability of the container 10 -both to store and to curl false eyelashes, and these features constitute the present invention in its broad aspect. An additional inventive feature has particular relation to the protuberances 24, ,and this aspect will now be described.

The additional feature involves the use of the container 1) for display purposes, as well as for storing and curling false eyelashes. By using a transparent material such as a clear acrylic plastic for the top 12 (including the protuberances 24), it is possible to view the false eyelashes 15 in a closed container 10 by looking downwardly through the protuberances. Naturally, a view of the false eyelashes 15 requires transparency only in the protuberances, and it is not necessary that the entire top 12 be so.

FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 show a number of alternative cross-sections for the protuberance 24. In FIGURE 2, the upper surface 25 of the protuberance 24 is planar and it will be appreciated that the resulting lenticular profile of the protuberance 24 will cause the latter to act in some degree as a lens, magnifying the false eyelashes 15 bet neath. Naturally, ka lenticular cross-section does not require that the upper surface 26 Ibe plan-ar. It is merelyu necessary that the upper surface 26 be spaced further from` the rounded lower surface of the protuberance mid-way of the cross-section than it is at the extremities of the be likely to occur with the cross-section shown in FIG- URE 3.Y

It will be appreciated that, whereas the above description relates to a container having two .grooves 14, the essence of the invention is encompassed in a single groove 14 and its complementary protuberance 24. Two grooves 14 have been shown and described because it is common to sell false eyelashes in pairs.

The rounded surface of the grooves 14, and the complementarylower surface of the protuberances 24, have been shown with yan approximately circular curvature. This has been done here yfor the sake of convenience only, and is not to be construed as` a limiting feature. The only characteristic necessary for the groove 14 is that its prole, andmore particularly the prole of the lower surface `of the protuberance 24, be a close approximation to the curl it is desired to impart to the false eyelashes. Since -a smooth curve is generally desirable for the curl in the hairs of a false eyelash, it follows that the profile of the groove 14 and of the protuberance 24 should be a smooth curve.

While preferred embodiments of this invention have been disclosed herein, those skilled in the art will appreciate that changes and modifications may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of this invention as dened in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is: Y n 1. A container for storing a false eyelash and for maintaining'the hairs of thefalse eyelash in a desired profile, said container comprising:

-a bottom having a groove adapted to receive said false eyelash, the groove having a profile substantially matching the prole to be imparted to the hairs of said eyelash,

4 and a top havingra transparent protuberance shaped to t complementally within said groove when the container is closed, such that a false eyelash within said groove can be simultaneously stored, curled and viewed when the container is closed.

2. A container asclairned iriV claim 1, in iwhich'the protuberance is lenticular in cross-section, having a curvilinear lower surface and `an upper surface which is spaced further from saidlower surface mid-wayof the crosssection than it is at the extremities of the cross-section, such that a false eyelash within the groove viewed from above the closed Acontainer appears magnified in size.

3. A container as claimed in claim 2, in which the upper surface of the protu'berauce is planar. A

4. A ycontainerV as claimed in claim .1, in which the upper `surface of the protuberanceis substantially equi-v distantfrom the lower surface thereof at all points.

5. A container as claimed in claim 1, in which the container is adapted to storeV and curl a pair of false eyelashes, the bottom having an additional groove for the other false eyelash, the two grooves being substantially identical, the top having an additional protuberance shaped Y to fit complementally within said additional groove when the container is closed.

6. A container as claimed in claim 1, in which the out- References Cited Y UNITED srArBsPATENrs 3,080,964 3,085,584 4/ 1963 Hollinger 206--5 3,200,823 8/1965' Sebastian 132-31Y 3,315,689 4/1967 IMelik e 132-79 FOREIGN PATENTS 459,930 1937 Great Britain.

RICHARD A. GAUDEL/Pfimary Examiner.

G. E. MCNEILL, Assistant Examiner.

3/ 1963 Robinson et al 206-4'6 Y 

1. A CONTAINER FOR STORING A FALSE EYELASH AND FOR MAINTAINING THE HAIRS OF THE FALSE EYELASH IN A DESIRED PORFILE, SAID CONTAINER COMPRISING: A BOTTOM HAVING A GROOVE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID FALSE EYELASH, THE GROOVE HAVING A PROFILE SUBSTANTIALLY MATCHING THE PROFILE TO BE IMPARTED TO THE HAIRS OF SAID EYELASH, AND A TOP HAVING A TRANSPARENT PROTUBERANCE SHAPED TO FIT COMPLEMENTALLY WITHIN SAID GROOVE WHEN THE CON- 